


Irvine Beginnings

by crowstakeflight (skyrxca)



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Beach Volleyball, Chapter 395 spoilers, Disney World & Disneyland, Fluff, Getting Together, Haikyuu!! Manga Spoilers, M/M, Oikawa's only there via text and phone and in spirit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-14 23:53:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29550282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skyrxca/pseuds/crowstakeflight
Summary: He doesn’t give Oikawa time for a greeting before he rushes out with, “What does it mean when Ushijima completely changes a conversation and says he wants to fly to California to see me?”Oikawa after midnight is not as smooth as he’d like to be so he ends up choking on whatever he was drinking and yells, “He wants to WHAT?”Or—Ushijima and Iwaizumi become friends after Ushijima’s California trip, causing him to make a 10 day trip to visit Iwaizumi in California.
Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime/Ushijima Wakatoshi
Comments: 9
Kudos: 43
Collections: Haikyuu Big Bang 2020





	Irvine Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> I'd like to thank both [Toasty](https://twitter.com/_toasti) and [Fi](https://twitter.com/_Borromini) for being my partners in this big bang! This is my first big bang and my longest fic and your support while writing this has been so great. I appreciate you both!! Thank you Toasty for betaing, I do not know what I would've done with without you, and thank you Fi for your amazing art! It was great to see that scene come to life 🥺
> 
> Also thank you to all the mods of [@_hqbb](https://twitter.com/_hqbb) for putting this big bang together and running it so smoothly!

The chance meeting with Ushijima led them to exchanging numbers. Iwaizumi never thought the day where he eagerly waited for a text from Ushijima would ever happen. But here he was checking his phone every time he got a notification. Oikawa always teases him about it when they video call.

It started with sharing volleyball videos and commenting on them. There were also the occasional videos they each had someone take during solo practices, Ushijima more than Iwaizumi. Even now, it amazes Iwaizumi when he’s watching one of Ushijima’s matches and sees him successfully pull off something he’s been practicing.

Slowly they start bringing up other things that aren’t volleyball related. Rather than sending a link to a volleyball video, they ask about the other’s day as a conversation starter. Ushijima will often ask about Iwaizumi’s studies or movies he said he would go see. Iwaizumi will ask about Ushijima’s gardening; he’s gotten Ushijima to agree to send plant updates regularly.

One evening, their texts are reminiscing about their high school days. They’re talking about their teammates and where they are now when Ushijima suddenly changes the conversation.

**Ushijima:** Do you come back to Japan over university breaks?

**Iwaizumi:** No, I have a part-time job. I usually pick up more hours during school breaks. Why?

**Ushijima:** I would like to see you. I will need to plan to come to California again.

That text makes Iwaizumi hold his breath. He quickly calls Oikawa and is so grateful for his friend’s terrible sleeping schedule because he picks up after the first ring.

He doesn’t give Oikawa time for a greeting before he rushes out with, “What does it mean when Ushijima completely changes a conversation and says he wants to fly to California to see me?”

Oikawa after midnight is not as smooth as he’d like to be so he ends up choking on whatever he was drinking and yells, “He wants to WHAT?”

“I don’t know,” Iwaizumi groans into his pillow rather than going into more detail.

“What did you say back to him?”

“I haven’t responded yet.”

“Did you turn your read receipts off first or?” The smirk in Oikawa’s voice can be heard over the phone.

“Shit, okay, this is fine. I’ll respond now. He probably just wants to visit his dad and I’m here too so it’s convenient, right? I mean, he’s not interested in me. Not that I’m saying I’m interested in him, everything is completely platonic on my part. I do not have feelings for Ushijima.”

Iwaizumi takes a deep breath after his rambling.

“Iwa-chan, I’m changing this to a video call, so you can see how disappointed I am in you.”

Oikawa’s face pops up on his phone with him pinching the bridge of his nose.

“We aren’t the same people we were in high school. I don’t care if you have feelings for Ushiwaka, so don’t feel like you need to lie to me. Besides, now I can hold it over his head that I’ve been your best friend your entire life.”

He says the last part in a teasing voice, to show Iwaizumi he’s joking, at least partially.

“Now, get off this call with me and text your man back.”

“He’s not my man.”

“Correction, he’s not your man, _yet_.”

Iwaizumi’s response is cut off as Oikawa hangs up once he finishes that sentence. The short call did nothing to lessen his worry that he’s reading too much into this. What if Ushijima is just being friendly? He’s grateful that if something were to happen between them, then Oikawa would get along with Ushijima, in his own way at least. With that in mind, Iwaizumi texts Ushijima back.

**Iwaizumi:** That would be great. I’d like to see you too! Did you want to do anything while you’re here?

A typing symbol pops up as soon as his message is sent, like Ushijima was staring at their chat until Iwaizumi responded.

**Ushijima:** We should play a game of volleyball. After we play, I want to go to the cafe you told me about. The one with the cats.

From then on, their usual conversations begin including places for the two of them to visit while Ushijima is in town. The last time he visited, he hadn’t done any site seeing.

The weeks fly by until it’s summer break. Iwaizumi is ready for the reprieve from school. He loves what he’s studying, but school, volleyball, and a job? He might be spreading himself a little thin at this point. For now, he only has volleyball and his job on his plate as he opted out of taking courses over the summer. He’ll use this time to relax and recharge for the upcoming school year.

The upcoming visit from Ushijima is definitely something he’s looking forward to. While he does make time to go out with friends over the school year, most of them travel back home to their families in the summer. He’s glad he’ll get to go out and do things with Ushijima, rather than being on his own.

He told Ushijima he usually picks up more hours over break, but he requested off work for most of the 10 days Ushijima will be visiting. The other few days he has the morning shift, giving Ushijima those mornings to himself or to visit his dad.

Volleyball practice doesn’t pick up until later on in the summer, so Iwaizumi only needs to go to the gym for individual workouts. He’ll be able to do this with Ushijima, as he has a workout regime he has to follow as a pro-athlete. Although, he thinks he might come to regret this decision when he sees Ushijima working out right next to him.

The day Ushijima arrives, Iwaizumi is working the morning shift and Ushijima’s flight is scheduled to land around 4 o’clock in the afternoon. He expects Ushijima to be tired after his long flight, so Iwaizumi plans to get food delivered and for the two to watch a movie.

His shift at the coffee shop is going by slowly. Iwaizumi glares at his watch as if that could speed up the time till he can clock out. There haven't been many customers today and Iwaizumi has spent the majority of his shift cleaning already clean spots to seem busy and to keep himself occupied.

Finally, it’s 10 minutes until he can leave and head home before going to the airport when his manager comes up to him.

“Just got a text from Marissa and she’s sick. I need you to stay for an hour or two until Daniel can come in,” his manager tells him then walks into the back area of the shop again.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Iwaizumi mutters to himself as he pulls out his phone and sends Ushijima a text.

**Iwaizumi:** My manager has me staying late and I won’t be able to make it to the airport in time. You’ll have to take a Lyft to my apartment [sends Home Address].

He puts his phone back in his pocket, not expecting a response from the currently-on-a-plane Ushijima. The bell chimes as the door opens and Iwaizumi’s customer service smile slides onto his face. He greets the customer who walks through the door and takes their order. Once he makes and hands their drink to them, they take a seat at the table near the door.

Iwaizumi groans silently as he restarts the countdown in his head. It’s 3 PM right now; Daniel better be arriving closer to the one hour mark than the two. If so, everything will work out almost as planned. His work is only a 10 minute walk from where he lives. He’ll be able to walk home before Ushijima’s ride drops him off.

Three more customers come in the next hour and finally, Daniel walks in 10 minutes after the hour. As soon as Daniel is behind the counter, Iwaizumi says “I have to go now, but it’s been slow today.” He doesn’t wait for Daniel to respond before he’s clocking out and grabbing his things.

He checks his phone to see a text from Ushijima received 5 minutes ago.

**Ushijima:** My flight landed and I picked up my luggage. I’m getting in the Lyft right now.

**Iwaizumi:** Ok sweet! I’m on my way home now.

The moment Iwaizumi gets home he takes his shoes off and relaxes the day off. A second later, he tenses up when he realizes Ushijima is about to get there. What if his apartment isn’t clean enough? He shakes his head at that. His apartment’s fine. He cleaned at the beginning of the week and yesterday. Honestly, his apartment has never been more clean than it is right now.

He changes out of his work clothes and then plays on his phone until he hears a knock on the door. Suddenly, he’s wishing he put more thought into if he should go in for a handshake or a hug when he sees Ushijima. It’s too late now; he’s already opening the door.

Ushijima is standing there, looking too put together for someone who just spent 14 hours traveling. Well, his hair is slightly ruffled, but it makes him look cute. He’s got a small smile on his face when he sees Iwaizumi.

“It’s good to see you, Iwaizumi,” Ushijima says, and he has no qualms about going in for a hug because Iwaizumi is instantly surrounded by warmth. Iwaizumi relaxes into the hug, head on Ushijima’s shoulder.

“You even smell good,” Iwaizumi whispers.

“Can you repeat that?” Ushijima asks as he pulls away.

“I asked if your flight was good,” Iwaizumi catches himself before he starts stuttering over the lie. He scoots out of the entryway to welcome Ushijima in.

“It was, I slept for half of the flight, watched two movies, and read things I downloaded on my phone,” Ushijima grabs his luggage and walks inside, pausing to take his shoes off at the door. He looks around the apartment to get a feel for where everything is.

The apartment is a one bedroom apartment, with the kitchen and living room sharing an open concept space. There’s a TV sitting on a TV stand along a wall with two doors and a couch in front of it, separating the kitchen and living room. The couch is long enough for Ushijima to stretch out while laying down, which is perfect considering he’ll be using it as a bed for the next 10 days. Iwaizumi had wanted to take the couch for Ushijima’s visit, but he lost the debate they had over it.

“I’ve put some blankets next to the couch and I’ll give you one of my pillows to use,” Iwaizumi explains when he sees Ushijima examining his apartment. “My bedroom is the door to the left of the TV and my bathroom is to the right. And please, make yourself comfortable.”

“Thank you,” Ushijima says. He leaves his luggage beside the couch and takes a seat. There’s a painting on the wall next to the couch. It’s a mix of dark blues and purples and black with white speckles of paint like stars. “Did you paint this? It’s nice.”

“Oikawa sent me that when I moved into my apartment, said it was a house warming gift. I'll tell him you like it,” Iwaizumi grins over at Ushijima and takes a seat next to him. “Anyway, I was thinking we’d get pizza for dinner. There’s not much else that’s as close as the pizzeria and they deliver.”

“A pizza with pineapple on it would be great,” Ushijima smirks as he recalls one of their text conversations.

“Oh no you don’t. We are not getting into why pineapples do not belong on pizza again,” Iwaizumi groans. If only Oikawa knew him and Ushijima had similar pizza tastes. “I know you like pepperoni and vegetarian pizzas, so we’ll get one of each.”

Ushijima nods his agreement and Iwaizumi places the order. While they wait, the two start discussing what movie they should put on.

“You’ve talked enough about Marvel movies that I feel like I should have seen some already. Would you want to watch one of them now?” Ushijima asks.

“Why stop at one when we can watch them all?” Iwaizumi asks in response. “Marvel movie marathon week begins now. We can go out during the day and watch the movies in the evening.”

“Yes, this is exactly why I flew all the way to the United States. To watch every Marvel movie,” Ushijima deadpans, though when Iwaizumi looks over at him, he can see the light in Ushijima’s eyes.

“Hey now, you flew all the way to the United States to see me and whether we’re out doing things or inside watching movies, you’re seeing me,” Iwaizumi says pointedly, lifting an eyebrow as he does so.

“I guess I am,” Ushijima agrees and Iwaizumi can’t place the look on his face.

It’s not long before there’s another knock at the door and this time, it’s pizza. The choice to order the pizza so early was a smart one. As soon as they open the boxes, they realize how hungry they are. They make their plates and eat at Iwaizumi’s kitchen table. Quickly, their pizza slices are gone and they’re back on the couch bundled in blankets.

“Okay, first we have Captain America,” Iwaizumi states while he clicks the remote to start the movie. He hopes Ushijima will like these movies. Of course, if he becomes uninterested in them, Iwaizumi isn’t going to keep playing them. They’ll find something else.

They have a good amount of space in between them on the couch, but Iwaizumi can’t help but feel like his body is buzzing at the fact that Ushijima is here. In California. In his apartment. On his couch (almost next to him).

He hopes Ushijima can’t feel his stare as he looks over at him throughout the movie. The best part of watching a movie you love with someone is seeing their reactions after all. He can see the brief movements of Ushijima’s eyebrows and the twitches of his lips throughout the movie.

“Do you need more water?” Iwaizumi asks as he gets up to refill his water bottle.

“Yes please,” Ushijima hands him his cup.

Upon returning it, Iwaizumi sits closer to Ushijima than he was previously and Ushijima doesn’t question his actions. Ushijima accepts the cup back with a “Thank you.”

Iwaizumi tries to pay attention to the movie, but his mind keeps going back to how the guy who he’s most likely had a crush on since high school came to California to see him. When Ushijima is distracted by the movie, he sends a text to Oikawa. It reads, “I think my interest in Ushijima was more than just what your one-sided rivalry caused me to have.”

The movie comes to a close and Ushijima looks over at him. He says, “I’m a little wired from traveling, so I can watch another movie. But could I use your shower first?”

“Yes of course, I’ll get you a towel set up,” Iwaizumi gets up and heads to the bathroom as Ushijima rifles through his luggage for a change of clothes and his toiletries. When Iwaizumi enters the living area again, he says “Take your time, I’ll clean up the kitchen and have the next movie ready by the time you’re done.”

With that, Ushijima heads to the bathroom and Iwaizumi is left with his own thoughts. He’d call Oikawa to talk about this with him, but he’s already talked to Oikawa about this. The next time they meet up in person, Iwaizumi is never going to hear the end of it.

He busies himself with the tasks he told Ushijima he would do. It takes no time for Captain Marvel to be on the screen, ready for him to press play. Next step, plates are put in the dishwasher and leftover pizza is consolidated and put in the fridge. The empty box is folded and put in the trash.

The water in the bathroom shuts off and he waits until he’s sure Ushijima has clothes on before calling out, “You can put the towel on the spare hook.” He hears a hum of acknowledgement in response.

Iwaizumi’s back on the couch when Ushijima opens the door, clad in cozy-looking pajamas with his hair still dripping. He understands that he should have realized this when he made the offer for Ushijima to stay at his place, but he did not think about seeing Ushijima in anything other than his usual clothes. He definitely didn’t think about how cute Ushijima would look in his pajamas. The shirt has some anime character in the center and the pants have a repeating pattern of the same character. The material looks soft.

“It was a gift from Tendou,” Ushijima must have seen him looking, he’s blushing slightly.

“I like them,” Iwaizumi replies. “They look really soft.”

“They are,” Ushijima walks over and his leg brushes against Iwaizumi’s leg as he walks past him. He’s right, they are soft.

Once they’re both settled, Iwaizumi starts the movie. He’s starting to feel tired after his long shift and dealing with his nerves prior to Ushijima’s arrival. He doesn’t notice his eyes drooping and him tilting into something, or someone, on the couch.

The next day he wakes up and checks his phone. It’s before his alarm usually goes off, but it’s good he’s awake since he forgot to set an alarm. Iwaizumi takes in his surroundings and jolts when he realizes he slept on the couch last night. Where did Ushijima sleep? Where is Ushijima?

The bathroom door opens and Ushijima exits. He’s already dressed.

“Good morning, I was going to wake you around the time you usually get up for work,” Ushijima says to him and Iwaizumi’s brain is working over the fact that Ushijima knows what time he usually wakes up. The first thing he usually does after waking up is reading and responding to any messages he received over the night, so really it’s not shocking that Ushijima knows that information.

“Good morning, sorry for falling asleep on you last night,” Iwaizumi says. “Where did you sleep?”

“You’re fine, I would’ve as well, but I wanted to see what happened in the movie,” Ushijima says. “I slept on the couch. I fell asleep right as the movie ended.”

“That’s good!” Iwaizumi didn’t realize his couch was big enough for them both to sleep comfortably on it. “I need to get ready for work now. You’re welcome to any of my food for breakfast.”

“Thank you for the offer though I won’t take you up on it today. I’ll be heading out to meet with my father and I’m sure we’ll get something to eat,” Ushijima says.

He heads out shortly after and Iwaizumi is on his way to work. The two didn’t plan to do anything major on Ushijima’s first day there. When they meet up after Iwaizumi’s shift, they’ll go to the gym and grab something to eat.

When they get to the gym, Iwaizumi again realizes his mistake. He has to focus on his workout while not getting distracted by Ushijima. Ushijima who is definitely wearing a shirt too small for him with how much his muscles are bulging in the tight fabric.

They both start their workout on the treadmill for a warm up. Ushijima gets on the treadmill right next to the one Iwaizumi picked. He can do this, Iwaizumi thinks to himself. He plugs in his earphones, starts the treadmill, and keeps his head facing forward. His eyes only pan over to Ushijima a few times before he shakes his head and focuses forward again.

Once they’re done warming up, Ushijima asks Iwaizumi if he can spot him as he bench presses. Iwaizumi agrees and can’t help but momentarily stare at the look of concentration on Ushijima’s face. He’s trying to be a good spotter and keep an eye on the barbell.

This experience brings something to Iwaizumi’s attention—the fact that Ushijima’s arm muscles are larger than his own. Iwaizumi feels a blush warm his cheeks and neck as he tries to keep a straight face while continuing to spot Ushijima. He thinks he manages to pull it off because when Ushijima looks at him after his reps are done he doesn’t say anything.

“Did you want to switch?” Ushijima asks him as he gets off of the bench.

“Sure,” Iwaizumi says.

He switches out the weights and lays on the bench. Okay great, he can see Ushijima watching him from his peripheral vision. His mind is never going to let him have a break ever. It always needs to be thinking about Ushijima, how great he is, and how good he looks in whatever he’s currently wearing. He shakes his head to clear his thoughts, takes a deep breath, and puts his hands on the barbell. His reps are over before he knows it and he’s face to abs with Ushijima when he sits up. They switch and go through another set.

They move onto their own gym routines after that and Iwaizumi is able to push the thought of a sweaty, muscly Ushijima out of his brain for the time being.

__________________

On the third day, they head to Disneyland—something that Iwaizumi is excited for. He’s been in Irvine for two years and never made the trip to Disney. Now he gets to have the same tourist experience as Ushijima. At least that’s what he tells himself as he pushes the thought that this could be considered a date out of his head.

“It’s a quick trip from campus, but I haven’t come here yet,” Iwaizumi says with a shrug as they step out of the Lyft.

There’s already a line of people waiting to be let in the park, though it’s not too bad for getting to Disneyland 30 minutes before the park opens. Iwaizumi bought tickets online a week ago, so he double checks his Disneyland app to make sure they are there. He looks around to see all the other people decked out in Disney merch. Ushijima and Iwaizumi don’t have any merch on, but they do plan to buy some Mickey Mouse ear headbands. The gift shop is one of the first stops they plan to make.

“I have no idea what rides we should do before heading to the Star Wars rides,” Iwaizumi says as they wait. “Definitely should have planned this better.”

“We can figure it out as we go. Anything we do will be fun,” Ushijima says.

Shortly before the 20 minutes ends, Disneyland employees scan everyone's tickets. When the park is finally open, everyone is allowed in one at a time. Since the only thing they had researched was the Star Wars rides, the first thing Iwaizumi does when they enter the park is get on the Disneyland app and join a boarding group for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Iwaizumi bought a MaxPass for each of them after listening to advice from his university friends. Since he was already on the app, he joined lines for other rides.

Now that they are waiting in line electronically, it’s time to go to the gift shop.

On their way, the two take in their surroundings. Iwaizumi hasn’t been to many theme parks so that could be why, but he’s amazed by Disneyland. From his peripheral vision, he can see that Ushijima is too. Ushijima’s head is turning in various directions like he can’t decide what feature is more interesting. Cute, Iwaizumi thinks.

The Mickey Mouse ear headbands are easy to spot once they walk in the gift shop. They walk in, grab two of the traditional headbands, and stop at the check out station. When they walk out Iwaizumi puts the headband on his head immediately and turns to Ushijima.

“How do I look?” Iwaizumi asks.

“Like you are ready to take on Disney,” Ushijima says.

“Okay, you’re not wrong. But that wasn’t exactly what I was going for,” Iwaizumi says.

All he gets in response is a teasing smile from Ushijima, who puts his headband on and looks at their surroundings. His eyes land on the Disney castle.

“There are people taking pictures in front of the castle, we should take one too,” Ushijima says.

The two wait for some people to walk away before standing in the middle of the walkway. Ushijima pulls out his phone to take the picture since he has a longer reach. He ends up taking multiple pictures, which is good since a lot of them ended up being blurry. They get one good picture in the batch—the two of them holding up peace signs and grinning widely.

Now that they have the first of many pictures taken, they check their Disney apps to see where they are in line. Luck is on their side as one of the rides says it’s time to go to the ride. Iwaizumi checks the map and navigates them to the correct location, the Mad Tea Party ride.

They’re let on the ride within a few minutes of getting in the MaxPass line. Once seated, Iwaizumi gets a look around at the other riders. The majority of them are what he assumes are couples on dates. Thoughts of how maybe this wasn’t the best choice for their first ride go through Iwaizumi’s head, though that is only because of the fact that he’ll compare himself and Ushijima to the couples and have to keep telling himself that he and Ushijima are not on a date.

Someone on a speaker announces the start of the ride and the teacups start moving. Iwaizumi and Ushijima take hold of the wheel and try to make the teacup go as fast as possible. Their hands touch every now and then as they grab a different part of the wheel to turn it. Iwaizumi can’t think much about it at the moment, but it’s definitely at the back of his mind.

At one point they are spinning so fast that both of their hands slip before they can grab the wheel for another spin. The teacup slows down with the missed spin. They look at each other and start laughing. They let the teacup gradually get to a slower speed and start spinning the wheel again, this time not as fast as before.

Iwaizumi glances over at Ushijima again to see him still smiling. Maybe the teacup wasn’t a bad first choice.

When they get off the ride, Ushijima drinks the remaining water in the water bottle he got earlier. He goes over to a nearby trash can to throw it away. As he does that, Iwaizumi is approached by someone.

“You and your boyfriend are such a cute couple!” the stranger tells him.

The blunt statement shocks Iwaizumi and brings a blush to his face. Even while dating someone, he had never had someone come up to him like this before.

“Oh, we, uh, thanks,” Iwaizumi says coherently.

When Ushijima returns from the trash can, the stranger has already left. He finds Iwaizumi with red ears, staring off at something.

“Are you okay?” Ushijima asks.

Iwaizumi shakes his head to clear his thoughts and looks at Ushijima.

“Yeah, I’m good,” Iwaizumi says. “Sorry, got distracted there. Let’s go check out Space Mountain now.”

A few hours and a lot of rides later, the two find themselves at the Carnation Cafe. They stop at Main Street for lunch so they can check out some shops while they’re taking a break from rides. They’re sitting outside since it’s such a nice day. Iwaizumi was initially worried since there was a heat wave a few weeks before Ushijima’s arrival. Luckily the weather cooperated even though Ushijima and Iwaizum didn’t check the weather when they were planning out Ushijima’s California trip.

Mickey Mouse ear headbands still on, Iwaizumi and Ushijima thank the server who brings them their plates—a roasted turkey sandwich for Ushijima and cheeseburger for Iwaizumi. The timing is perfect because Iwaizumi is suddenly feeling how hungry he is. Ushijima must be as well, since they both quickly dig in once the server leaves.

They slow down once they’ve eaten about half their plates, allowing for conversation to flow between the two. Topics range from the things they’ve already done today, what else they want to see at Disneyland, and other things on their to-do list for Ushijima’s visit.

The server stops by a few times to confirm that everything is alright, refill their drinks, and take their plates once they are cleared of food.

“I’ll take these plates out of your way. Did you save room for dessert?” the server asks.

Iwaizumi and Ushijima share a look before nodding at each other. When they were looking over the menu they’d talked about possibly getting dessert, but wanted to wait until after they were done eating to decide.

“We’ll split the hot fudge sundae,” Iwaizumi says.

The fact that they are splitting the dessert does not help Iwaizumi’s thoughts on how their day at Disney feels like a date. Throughout their day, Iwaizumi has been telling himself that this outing isn’t a date. Sure, there were not any romantic gestures between him and Ushijima, but this Disney trip was giving him major first date vibes (though it lacked the awkward tension most of his first dates typically had).

It didn’t take long for the sundae to arrive with a spoon sticking out of each end. Their conversation continues as they eat their share of the sundae.

Iwaizumi is mid-bite when he looks up at Ushijima, who’s explaining something with his hands. Iwaizumi decides that his life is a cliche romance movie, because there is sauce at the corner of Ushijima’s mouth. He lets Ushijima finish talking before saying something.

“That’s really interesting, but I want to tell you that you have sauce right here,” Iwaizumi says as he points at his own mouth.

Ushijima grabs a napkin and wipes at his mouth. Of course the sauce is still present on his face.

“Still there. Here let me,” Iwaizumi says.

He leans over the table with a napkin and wipes off the sauce, all the while repeating, not a date in his head.

His internal crisis is interrupted by Ushijima thanking him with a warm smile. Their time at the cafe comes to a close shortly after that and they are onto part two of their Main Street trek.

Finally after browsing shops and going on more rides, they make it to the Star Wars ride. The ride Iwaizumi has been the most excited about. He thinks Ushijima is excited too, though he doesn’t think Ushijima is as into Star Wars as he is. That’s fine because not everyone has Oikawa Tooru as their best friend. Iwaizumi had the pleasure of being dragged by Oikawa to every single space themed movie that came to theaters. At least he was dragged until Iwaizumi started showing more of an interest in the movies and Iwaizumi started dragging Oikawa to them instead.

“It’s like we’re in the movie,” Ushijima says, taking in the set.

Iwaizumi can only agree as he gapes at how authentic everything looks. From the Disney actors and the decorations to the hologram of Rey, this is already shaping up to be his favorite Disney ride. He might’ve even let out a little noise when he first saw and heard BB-8. It’s so precious and definitely lives up to the hype.

The transport ship is interesting too. The interactions between the pilots and Lieutenant Bek and the window showing what’s happening outside the ship adds another element of authenticity. They can see First Order tie fighters attacking the Resistance ships. Pilots yell out status updates until they are finally overpowered and the transport ship is caught in a Star Destroyer’s tractor beam. Iwaizumi’s distracted by everything that’s happening around him and accidentally bumps into someone. The person in question is thankfully Ushijima. His apology is met with one from Ushijima as he had done the same thing.

A rush of excitement goes through Iwaizumi when they have to enter the Star Destroyer. No one in their group talks as they are escorted by the First Order soldiers. He watches as General Hux and Darth Vader show up to get information out of the “Resistance spies”. They’re not able to do much other than make a few threats before they are needed in another part of the ship. This diversion allows for the Resistance to show up and break them out. The group rushes to droid carts that will take them through the rest of the ride.

Laser beam sounds ring through the ship as they are seen by stormtroopers. The doorway on their path to the escape pods shuts and the carts are forced to change their path (and end up separating). Even though this is just a ride and they will make it to the end safely, there is something thrilling about this experience, especially when they had a run in with Darth Vader on their way to escape.

Weapons are blocking the path way as they shoot out at the Resistance ships surrounding the Star Destroyer. The cart passes them one by one in order to not get hit by the moving weapons. This is the final stretch to the escape pod and the end of the ride. The ride ends after the screen on the front of the escape pod shows a crash landing, the doors to the pod open, and the cart takes them to the drop off location.

“That was awesome!” Iwaizumi says as everyone makes their way off the cart.

“I think that was one of my favorite rides,” Ushijima says.

“Agreed,” Iwaizumi says with a nod.

They have a few more rides and shops to visit before they head back to Iwaizumi’s apartment, but Iwaizumi thinks about how amazing the day was. His mind goes back to his thoughts from earlier. While it may have felt like it, his day at Disney with Ushijima wasn’t a date, but he really wishes it was.  
__________________

Halfway through Ushijima’s stay, Iwaizumi texts Oikawa about his feelings for Ushijima, again, this time filling him in on their Disney (not) date. He does appreciate Oikawa’s constant support and ability to listen to the same thing over and over again. Though, the conversation goes a bit differently this time.

**Oikawa:** You should tell Ushiwaka how you feel!

**Iwaizumi:** I don’t know. What if I confess and he’s not interested?

**Oikawa:** …

**Oikawa:** Okay, I shouldn’t be telling you this, but if he didn’t want you to know then he shouldn’t have told me.

**Oikawa:** I’ve been talking to Tendou and he has specifically said Ushijima /likes/ you. 

**Iwaizumi:** He really said that?

**Iwaizumi:** Wait, when did you become friends with Tendou?

**Oikawa:** That’s not relevant and yes he said that.

Before he can type out a reply, Ushijima comes out of the bathroom ready for bed. Iwaizumi has already changed and made popcorn for the movie they are about to watch. They’ve stayed on top of their Marvel movie marathon, much to Iwaizumi’s delight. He’s glad Ushijima is enjoying the movies.

When Ushijima takes a seat on the couch, he sits right next to Iwaizumi. He’s close enough for their shoulders to knock into each other and their thighs to touch if either of them makes the slightest movement.

They turn on the movie and the two focus on watching Captain America, Black Widow, and Falcon be a dream team.

While it’s playing, Iwaizumi turns to glance at Ushijima. He can’t help it. At this point, it’s an automatic response to sitting within 10 feet of Ushijima. He thinks of Oikawa’s text from earlier and if he should confess. He doesn’t want to ruin the rest of Ushijima’s trip, but this will be his only chance to tell him in person and spend time with him after (if it works out).

There’s never going to be a right time, so he might as well go for it right now. Iwaizumi puts a hand gently on Ushijima’s shoulders to get his attention. He’s learned that when watching a movie, Ushijima gets so focused that sometimes he doesn’t hear when you call for him.

Ushijima turns to look at him, an eyebrow lifting in question and oh how Iwaizumi is jealous of this man’s ability to control his eyebrows.

“I’m not great with words,” Iwaizumi starts out. “But I wanted to say this before I lost confidence and then never told you. I like you, a lot. I didn’t realize how close we would get after exchanging numbers and I’m so glad that we were able to get to know each other without any of the drama from high school. You are such an amazing person and spending the last few days with you has been incredible. I don’t expect you to return my feelings or act on them. I know your schedule is a lot and I don’t want to be a burden—”

His rambling is cut off when Ushijima grabs onto Iwaizumi’s frantically moving hands. He gives Iwaizumi some time to breathe after his long-winded confession.

“I first want to say that you could never be a burden,” Ushijima says while gripping Iwaizumi’s hands a little tighter. “I feel the same. I’ve enjoyed the conversations we’ve had over the phone and our time together this week. You are one of the most interesting people I’ve ever met. Every time we speak, I learn new things about you and I’d like to keep learning new things about you.”

“So Ushijima, does this mean you would be interested in dating me?” Iwaizumi isn’t entirely sure how he’s not blushing right now.

“Yes, I would be. We should get coffee tomorrow, it’ll be a date,” Ushijima’s brow furrowed in thought. He must be thinking about other things they could do tomorrow.

“That sounds great,” Iwaizumi smiles at him. “Now, we missed part of the movie. I’ll rewind it to the last thing we saw.”

They turn back to the TV. They had previously released their hands, but when Iwaizumi looks down he sees that Ushijima’s hand is resting palm up on his thigh. Iwaizumi rests his hand on Ushijima’s and threads their fingers together. His hand gets a small squeeze in response.

Oikawa’s probably going to be annoyed that he didn’t plan out an elaborate confession. He’s been a witness to many of Oikawa’s plans to outdo his own previous attempts at romance. His childhood friend claims to be a romance connoisseur, and that only he knows what's best.

But is there really anything more romantic than confessing your feelings for your best friend’s (and yours by default) former high school rival while Hydra Agents are getting demolished by Captain America? Okay, probably. But to each their own because Ushijima didn’t seem to have a problem with it.

__________________

The next morning the two make their way to the cat cafe Iwaizumi told Ushijima about. They sip their coffee and talk as they watch the cats roam around the cafe. Two outgoing cats rub against their legs and meow until they get pets from them.

Conversation has lulled to a stop and that’s fine for them. Over the past few days they have gotten comfortable with silence; they don’t feel the urge to fill it with chatter.

“Was there something in particular you wanted to do today?” Ushijima asks, breaking the silence.

“I haven’t been to the beach in a while. You brought your swimsuit, right?” Iwaizumi asks.

“I did,” Ushijima says with a nod. “It’s always good to be prepared.”

“Okay nice because I don’t think your thighs would fit into mine anyway,” Iwaizumi says.

Ushijima purses his lips in thought, possibly imagining him trying the swim trunks on successfully and then ripping them shortly after. At least that is what is currently going through Iwaizumi’s mind.

They finish their coffees, pay for their food, and go back to Iwaizumi’s apartment to get ready for a beach day. Twenty minutes later, they are all packed up and ready to go.

The beach is a short Lyft ride away from Iwaizumi’s apartment. They walk out to a nice clear spot to put down their things and lay out two towels. Iwaizumi turns to Ushijima with the bottle of sunscreen in his hand.

“Did you want me to get your back?” Iwaizumi asks.

“Please,” Ushijima says.

He pulls his shirt off and turns around. Of course they have the lotion rather than the spray sunscreen, so Iwaizumi gets to rub the sunscreen into Ushijima’s very nice back muscles. Wasting no time he puts some sunscreen in his hand and presses it to Ushijima’s back. This gets a hiss from Ushijima’s mouth from the sunscreen being cold.

“Sorry!” Iwaizumi hurries out, speeding up his hand movements to try and warm it up.

“It’s alright,” Ushijima says.

Iwaizumi puts more sunscreen in his hand and rubs both his hands together this time before applying to Ushijima’s back. When he’s done, he hands Ushijima the bottle of sunscreen and takes off his tank top. Ushijima takes over and is much more considerate with the first application than Iwaizumi was.

After Ushijima’s done, they both finish putting on sunscreen and sit out on their towels to wait for the sunscreen to set. Then they head to the water. Even though it’s a warm day outside, the water is slightly cold. Ushijima and Iwaizumi take their time stepping deeper into the water. That is, until Ushijima accidentally splashes Iwaizumi when his hand drags against the water. At least that’s what Ushijima claims by the show of his hands raised up when Iwaizumi turns to him.

“I don’t believe you,” Iwaizumi says while squinting at Ushijima, partly in disbelief and partly due to the sun. They had opted out of wearing their sunglasses in the ocean, so they wouldn’t lose them.

Iwaizumi pulls both his arms back and splashes Ushijima with an even bigger splash. It manages to reach his face and make his hair look off.

“If that’s how it’s going to be,” Ushijima says.

He starts splashing Iwaizumi rapidly. Any retribution on Iwaizumi’s end is cut off by splashes from Ushijima. The half of Iwaizumi that is not in the water is now soaked entirely.

With his attacks remaining unsuccessful, Iwaizumi has no choice but to tackle Ushijima. So that’s what he does. The two tumble into the water.

In the aftermath, Iwaizumi finds himself in Ushijima’s lap. Ushijima props up from the laid back position he landed in and pushes his hair out of his face. This moment feels like it should be part of all the cheesy romance movies he loves and Oikawa makes fun of him for watching. So Iwaizumi shouldn’t be surprised that the sun is hitting Ushijima just right. He looks like he’s glowing. His brain short circuits as his eyes don’t know whether to stare at Ushijima’s face or muscles.

He’s honestly shocked Ushijima hasn’t said something about him staring during his California trip. Maybe he doesn’t notice the stares. Or maybe he’s staring just as much when Iwaizumi isn’t looking, so he has no room to talk.

There is some noise coming from the beach that causes Ushijima to turn away. Iwaizumi continues to keep his eyes on Ushijima.

“Looks like someone’s setting up a beach volleyball net,” Ushijima says, nodding back to the shore.

“Wanna see if they need more players?” Iwaizumi asks.

“Yes,” Ushijima says. “For a while, I’ve wanted to play on the same side of the court as you. At least once.”

“Now’s your chance,” Iwaizumi responds.

Iwaizumi gets up from Ushijima’s lap and holds out a hand to help Ushijima up. They walk back to the beach to ask about playing beach volleyball.

The group of friends who had set up the beach volleyball net are quick to agree to the addition of two players. They have four teams of two, so they make a little tournament. The friends aren’t pro players, but they have played enough times to be familiar with the sand. Ushijima and Iwaizumi have only played beach volleyball a few times, so they are a little rusty when they start the match. After a couple missed points, they both get a feel for moving around in the sand again.

Ushijima and Iwaizumi have twenty points when Ushijima hits the ball close to the other side of the net. One of the guys on the opposing team jerks his arm towards the ball. But he’s too slow. The ball lands on his arm at an angle that sends it sideways to the ground. The score is 21-19. Ushijima and Iwaizumi high five in victory before meeting the other players at the net to shake hands.

“Dude, that was a great play!” the guy, who lost the point, says.

“Thank you,” Ushijima says. “Your playing is very impressive, it reminds me of a former opponent.”

“Damn are you serious? Thanks! I’ve watched so many Ninja Shouyou videos while training,” he says.

Iwaizumi nudges Ushijima in the side at the coincidence. A smile forms on Ushijima’s face as he laughs a little.

“That’s my former opponent,” Ushijima says.

“Holy shit that’s awesome! Thanks for the comparison, man,” the guy says with wide eyes.

Now that their match is finished, they all grab their drinks and watch the other two teams play against each other. Iwaizumi can tell that they’ve been playing together for a long time. The plays are smooth and they are able to communicate effectively with only a few words. Whoever wins this match will be tough to beat. After all, Ushijima and Iwaizumi were neck and neck with the duo they played against first.

Their first real date is going well so far. Or dates? Iwaizumi isn’t sure if the entire day counts as one date or not but that doesn’t matter. He looks over at Ushijima, who’s watching the playing teams closely. Iwaizumi can’t help but smile at the look of pure concentration on Ushijima’s face. Yeah, it’s a good date.

__________________

Before they both know it, Ushijima has one full day left with Iwaizumi. They don’t have anything specific planned for the day. The two of them are just fine taking it easy, though they do decide to walk around campus. This is an opportunity for Ushijima to see more of the campus, as he had only been to the places he was meeting his father any of the times before. Iwaizumi shows Ushijima the places he likes to hang out at and where his classes usually are.

“Oh my god, we need to take a picture next to this anteater statue,” Iwaizumi says.

He pulls Ushijima’s arm to lead him in the direction of the student center to where the statue is located. It’s a bench with an anteater statue sitting on it; the anteater has a laptop it appears to be typing on. The anteater is dressed like a college guy in the summer with it’s sunglasses, tank top, shorts, and flip flops, which also happens to be the outfits that both Ushijima and Iwaizumi are wearing.

Luckily, someone walks by shortly after Ushijima and Iwaizumi arrive at the statue and Iwaizumi asks them if they can take a picture. They say yes and accept Iwaizumi’s phone. Ushijima and Iwaizumi take a seat on the bench with their arms resting on the back of it.

“I took some,” the passerby says and hands the phone back to Iwaizumi.

“Thank you,” Iwaizumi says as the person makes their way into the student center. He turns to Ushijima to suggest something else. “We’ve walked through it on our walk across campus, but let’s go grab a spot in Aldrich Park.”

Their hands bump against each other as they walk. Iwaizumi takes the opportunity to grab Ushijimai’s hand and intertwine their fingers. For some reason a blush rises on Iwaizumi’s cheeks, even though he’s the one who grabbed Ushijima’s hand.

They find a shaded area under a tree and take a seat in the grass. There are quite a few people at the park today. They’re walking around, playing frisbee, or sitting with books in hand.

Ushijima and Iwaizumi watch the group of students who are playing with the frisbee.

“They are quite skilled,” Ushijima says. His eyes are focused on following the arm movements of each person throwing the frisbee as if he’s trying to learn how to do the same.

“Yeah, I don’t know how they have such control over where the frisbee goes,” Iwaizumi says.

This conversation is just a distraction from the conversation they need to have. They need to talk about what’s going to happen after tomorrow. This is the first long distance relationship either of them have been in.

“I wanted—”

“We should—”

The two start and stop at the same time.

“You go first,” Iwaizumi says with a nod at Ushijima.

“I wanted to thank you for these past 10 days. It was a break I didn’t know I needed and getting to see you again made it even better,” Ushijima says.

“I’m glad you were able to come. Definitely the best part of my summer break,” Iwaizumi says. Then he lets out a sigh and before continuing. “I was going to say we should talk about what things will be like after you leave. It’s only been a few days, but I think it’s important to mention that I’ll be here for at least three more years and your schedule is only going to get busier as your pro-volleyball career grows.”

Ushijima scoots closer to Iwaizumi, who then leans into Ushijima’s side.

“I agree. It’s going to be strange not being able to talk to you like this,” Ushijima says. “We were able to talk consistently by text before this trip and our schedules aren’t picking up anytime soon. We can make a point to call more.”

“Hmmm yeah, make a routine of it now,” Iwaizumi agrees. “And keep each other in the loop when we do get busy.”

“Of course,” Ushijima says. Then he shakes his head at something.

“What’s that about?” Iwaizumi asks.

“I’m thinking of how much more teasing my team is going to give me once they find out we’re dating,” Ushijima says.

“Oh?” Iwaizumi perks up. “They were teasing you about me?”

“Yes, though it’s not unwarranted. The first thing I do after practice and games is check my phone for messages from you,” Ushijima says. “My team and Tendou helped me realize how I feel about you and after that they brought you up any time they could.”

“You’re adorable, Wakatoshi,” Iwaizumi says brightly. “I talked about you the most to Oikawa. It was easier with him being in a closer timezone than the rest of my friends from home. So he teased me enough for all of them.”

Their conversation gets interrupted by a frisbee landing on top of them and a person running up to get it back. Ushijima picks it up and tosses it gently into the person’s hands. They are quick to go back to the topic of their friends’ teasing, somehow turning it into a competition.

When the sun starts to lower in the sky, they make their way back to Iwaizumi’s apartment. They walk slow, hand-in-hand, as if that will make the day last longer.

__________________

“We didn’t get to finish the movie marathon,” Ushijima turns to Iwaizumi at the airport’s security checkpoint. It’s almost time for the two to part ways until the next time they can see each other in person. They don’t know when that will be.

“It’s fine, we can finish it next time,” Iwaizumi says, distracting himself by playing with Ushijima’s luggage by rolling it around next to him.

“That’s correct,” Ushijima responds. He reaches out and puts a hand over Iwaizumi’s hand on his luggage, stopping his movements and gaining his full attention. Ushijima brings his other hand up to Iwaizumi’s cheek and pulls him into a brief kiss.

cr: [ @Borromini ](https://twitter.com/_Borromini)

When they part, Iwaizumi immediately hugs Ushijima, head resting on Ushijima’s firm chest. With Ushijima’s arms around him now, Iwaizumi feels warm.

“It’s time for me to go,” Ushijima says a moment later, breaking the hug in the process.

“Yeah,” Iwaizumi agrees. “Have a safe flight. I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too,” Ushijima says. Then he grabs his things and starts walking away.

As he watches Ushijima head through the security checkpoint, Iwaizumi feels cold. He stays at the barrier to keep watching Ushijima until he can’t see him anymore. His luggage is on the conveyor belt, along with his shoes, wallet, and phone. He’s about to walk through the metal detector when he turns back to give Iwaizumi one last look. Ushijima smiles, sends him a wave, and mimes a call me expression with a lift to an eyebrow. Iwaizumi waves and smiles back. He tucks his hands in his pockets, feeling a little bit of warmth come back to him.

Their relationship is only beginning and their first challenge is being long distance while both of them have very busy schedules. But when have he and Ushijima ever not been ready for a challenge? Iwaizumi thinks to himself.

With Ushijima no longer in sight, Iwaizumi turns to leave. He’s out by the bus stop when he gets a text.

**Ushijima:** We’ll be fine.

**Iwaizumi:** Yeah we will :)

They continue texting as Iwaizumi makes his way home and Ushijima waits for his flight to board. They are both talking until the last possible minute. Later in the evening, Iwaizumi looks at his apartment and can’t help but think about how much more lively it looks. The impressions of Ushijima are still present—the blanket he used on the couch, the two mugs in the sink, a second towel hanging in the bathroom.

When he’s in the bathroom, Iwaizumi also notices something was left on the floor.

“Must’ve dropped it earlier,” He says to himself as he bends down to pick it up. Once he’s looking at it (a shirt) he smirks when he realizes it’s one of Ushijima’s. “Hmm, I don’t think he’ll miss this.”

He drops the shirt in his dirty clothes basket and falls onto his bed. The past 10 days with Ushijima have been amazing—the break he needed from his usual routine. Now that he’s back to it, he still can’t help but smile. He wasn’t expecting to get a boyfriend out of Ushijima’s time in California, but he’s glad he did.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so glad I was able to write (and finish) this fic for hqbb! I had around 3k written when I saw the tweet for hqbb on my TL and knew I had to join for this fic. Did not expect to get to 9k words but here it is. I hope you all like it!!
> 
> I also have never been to Disney, so hopefully that was a somewhat accurate portrayal! Thank you to youtube for existing because I had to watch [a Star Wars ride video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWbWghpV0Q8) many times. We are also pretending that the Rise of Resistance ride was open at the time this fic is taking place, thank you :-)
> 
> [my twitter](https://twitter.com/skyrxca)  
> :)


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